9 Subtle MCU Gags You Definitely Didn't Notice

7. Old Movies - Black Panther

Avengers Age Of Ultron Robert Downey Jr
Marvel Studios

In a running gag throughout the MCU, Peter Parker refers to various classic films, such as Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Aliens, as "really old movies." This is done to get a quick chuckle and emphasize his young age.

However, in Black Panther, fans learn that Peter isn't the only teenager to call 80s movies "old." When T'Challa visits Shuri's lab, she offers him a new pair of stealthy shoes that she calls "sneakers" (because you... never mind.) She compares them to the shoes seen in Back to the Future Part II, calling it "the old American movie Baba used to watch."

The line might get a chuckle from anyone who gets the Back to the Future reference, but it's a lot funnier if you also get the Spider-Man reference. MCU writers should spend more time with teenage film fans, though, since no self respecting movie lover, no matter their age, would refer to Empire Strikes Back as "that really old movie."

Contributor
Contributor

Richard C. Kraus (Richie to pretty much everyone) is an American college student and world record holder for most views of the 2015 film Ant-Man. He aspires to be a screenwriter, actor, and not tired.